Fishing spinning reels include a spool for winding a fishing-line thereon. The spool may be attached on a front side of a spool shaft that reciprocates in a front-rear direction by a handle operation. In this manner, the fishing line is evenly wound on the spool.
The spool shaft may be inserted in a drive shaft sleeve that transmits a drive force generated by a handle operation to a rotor. When a large load is worked on the spool and the spool shaft is bent, a contact pressure between an outer peripheral surface of the spool shaft and an inner peripheral surface of the drive shaft sleeve is increased, and consequently a sliding resistance on the spool shaft is increased, which may degrade smoothness of the rotational operation of the handle.
In order to avoid such a situation, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. Hei 6-11469 (the “'469 Publication”) disclosed rolling members interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the drive shaft sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of the spool shaft to support the spool shaft such that the spool shaft can be guided and rolled in the front-rear direction.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-333705 (the “'705 Publication”) disclosed a bearing fitted in an inner peripheral surface of a rotor nut screwed on the drive shaft sleeve. The spool shaft is supported by the bearing such that the spool shaft is slidable in the front-rear direction.